I hope this is appropriate since it is technically a buyer's forum, not a seller's advice column.

I have a perfect condition 01 TJ with only 43k miles and am looking to post it for sale soon and need some advice. I have every single option avaialable (minus auto trans that I hate) and some aftermarket accessories. I looked on NADA and Kelley and they both say I should expect around $11k, but this seems high compared to what they are selling for on Craigslist in Boston, Detroit, and DC. I could sell in any of these cities due to relatives, but the Jeep is currently in Detroit and I am in DC.

Would anyone care to comment on any of the following?
1) Is AutoNation or Carmax a complete rip-off? Would eBay be better, or should I stick to craigslist and forums? I hate to stick my brother-in-law with handling the sale through craigslist, and I don't want to transport it to DC or Boston if possible.
2) Would it be better to seperate out the accessories, such as the hard top, add a trunk, hitch?
3) Does anyone really care that I used Mobil 1, waxed regularly, garaged it, and took perfect care of it since new, or is it simply a nice thing that isn't really worth anything in sale value?
4) What is the expected knock-off value when haggling-5%, $500? I don't want to list it too high and get no bids, but I also don't want to lowball it.

1. For an 01 TJ, Carmax will be low. Their sweet spot for trade in is a 3-5 year old vehicle with low mileage. Even then, they tend to offer on the low side. Everything else they offer peanuts for. It won't hurt to check but I think you have to be present to get the appraisal. I've had family buy through eBay but not sell so I can't comment there. When I sold my Mazda to buy the Jeep, I did it the old fashioned way. I got more calls from Craigslist but more serious buyers from AutoTrader.

2. Part out anything that can be cleanly removed and isn't factory.

3. They'll care but they won't believe you. Show receipts if you have them.

4. Depends on what you originally ask. Instead of worrying about haggling, decide the lowest you'll take and advertise for the average-to-slightly-below-average asking price in your area. Don't go too low on asking price or people tend to assume there's something wrong with it.

I sold our 06 TJ on craigslist here in Hawaii. I listed all the options it had and all the modifications it had. I just looked through the ads on craigslist for the few years around my 06 and I posted it for a little more than I wanted, but more what I considered a "competitive" price. It was not the cheapest or the most expensive Jeep listed, but what I thought was a good value for someone looking for a Jeep. I found a lot of unmodified Jeeps for the same price and explained if you want to lift it this is what it is going to cost on top of you purchase price of that "stock" Jeep too. I also explained everything I could about what the Jeep had, for example the SYE and how it keeps you t-case from getting pounded by the driveshaft and the fact that it had the correct speedo gear in it and how if you lift a Jeep and put huge tires on to correct the speedo gear so that the speedo (and the milage) is correct. Little things like that to let him know that the Jeep was just not "thrown together" there was some thought put into it.

I told him to go and look at other Jeeps and ask these types of questions and if he wanted to I even volunteered to go with him and look them over. It is probably easier to sell them out here since Wranglers are VERY popular, but good luck with your sale and hope this helps!

I'm planning to put it up for NADA value, plus about half the value of the mods. Start from there.

Most people say you can't get any of your money back on investing in mods (lift, etc). Maybe so, but around here where I live, Wranglers are also popular and I think a lot of people understand the value of such mods.

Thanks for the advice. I ended up posting it for the NADA trade in value for excellent condition hoping for a quick sale. I have a tentative offer that equals the average trade-in value and am happy enough with it. If I were in the market to buy a new vehicle I would just trade it in, but I am downsizing to only 2 vehicles. While I would love to hold out for more cash, I am afraid the $3 per gallon gas that is coming will scare people off and 'a bird in hand is worth two in the bush'. I was surprised at the initial interest but when push comes to shove, it is hard to pry the cash from someone's hand. It is somewhat comforting that I sold it to a Jeep person who promised to take good care of it.